Mikata Snow Park Closed
Official name ミカタスノーパーク · Formerly ミカタ奥ハチスキー場
Hyogo
Open 1983–2019
Mikata Snow Park was a ski area in the Ojiro district of Kami, in the mountains of northern Hyogo. It opened in 1983 and had four chairlifts serving eight runs between about 500 m and 950 m, along with a snowboard park that included a halfpipe. The name comes from the former town of Mikata. At its peak it drew around 30,000 visitors a season, but falling numbers and ageing equipment left it running at a loss for about a decade. Operation was suspended from the 2019-20 season and the area has not reopened. In summer the slopes served as pasture for Tajima cattle.
History of Mikata Snow Park
- Opened
- 1983
- Closed
- 2019
- Formerly
- ミカタ奥ハチスキー場
- Operators
- Nishi-Nihon Resort Kanko (until 2019), Six local volunteers (took over operation for 2019-20, then decided not to open)
- Why it closed
- About ten years of losses from falling visitor numbers (around 5,000 in 2018-19, against about 30,000 at its peak) and ageing facilities.
- The site today
- The slopes were used in summer as Mikata Kogen Ranch for Tajima cattle grazing; the grass is still mown.